Aviation Week & Space Technology

COVID-19 crisis could be turning point in A&D supply chains for reasons besides disrupted operations and sudden collapse in air travel.

From joint ventures to acquisitions and connecting partnerships, Europe’s budget carriers are teaming up.

Japanese government and airline ambitions for 2020 are under threat from the COVID-19 outbreak.

To succeed in trade talks, the government will need arrangements with industry based on evidence, not ideology.

The Launch Challenge, intended to show “anywhere, anytime” capability to launch smallsats to LEO, ended without the prize money claimed.

The design is for a considerable aircraft with a span of 16 m. But funding is needed.

Companies such as Teledyne, TransDigm and Heico are leading a breed of A&D players with “horizontal” external growth strategies and impressive track records.

Flybe failure could prompt reform of UK’s controversial air passenger duty.

Norway electrifies; Boom slips; repairing satellites; GoFly unfinished; Joby flies for NASA; fluidic propulsion.

SpaceX’s Elon Musk may have stunned the Air Force Association with his statement that the time for manned fighter aircraft has passed. Aviation Week editors explain why that was shocking – and why it wasn’t.

Key helicopter programs to protect new UK carriers are behind schedule, so race is on to get them ready for the first deployment.

Aerospace Calendar March 16-April 30—RTCA Plenary Sessions. Various locations. See rtca.org/content/upcoming-committee-meetings March 17-19—Global

IATA projects the industry could lose up to $113 billion in revenues in 2020 if the coronavirus spreads further.

Mark Matossian has been hired by Finland’s Iceye as U.S. CEO. He will lead U.S. expansion for the satellite-based synthetic-aperture radar services

Commercial orbital debris mitigation services are on the horizon, but operators will expect low costs.

Readers write about the safety of wake surfing, Boeing management, aviation software testing and the Convair 880.

Elon Musk startled an Air Force audience by declaring fighters dead, but his opinion isn’t far off current acquisition strategy.

Triton production halted; Maxar sees geospatial services growth: FAA certifies training simulator and issues with nuclear modernization.

Our roundup of the main aerospace and defense stories making the news this week.

SpaceX is testing coatings to cut the reflectivity of its growing broadband satellite constellation.

More than 50,000 respondents have commented on the FAA’s notice of proposed rulemaking.

Following the exit of Bombardier, Airbus is digging deeper into what it can do to make the A220 profitable fast.

With thousands of satellites expected to launch in the next 10 years, the U.S. is trying to prevent orbital mayhem.

An old friend is about to crash the party in A&D manufacturing and MRO: Howmet Aerospace. But it might not be so friendly this time.

Dozens of tech demos and satellites for new networks have been launched into orbit, with hundreds more to come.